Johnny Warren sculpture unveiled at Allianz Stadium

Late Socceroo legend Johnny Warren has been honoured in with a bronze sculpture at Allianz Stadium, unveiled today in Sydney.

The statue, portraying Warren with a football on his right foot, was sculpted by proclaimed Australian sculptor Cathy Weiszmann.

It is the first statue of a football player outside Sydney Football Stadium, the first rectangular ground every developed on Australia. Playing for St George, Warren played his final game at the venue and even finished with a goal at the ground.

The sculpture was unveiled by Socceroos Tim Cahill and Matt McKay outside the northeastern end of the stadium.

Australia take on Jordan at the iconic ground on Tuesday night and Cahill reflected on the influence Warren has had on the football community.

“It’s a monumental day for football, I think it’s special, it’s something which should have been done a long time ago, but more importantly, he was a pioneer of the sport,” Cahill said.

“He’s somebody that the whole country looks up to, it’s a special day that we can all be very proud of.”

Warren was strongly regarded as the most powerful voice in Australian football. He played 42 matches for the Australian national team and after hanging up his boots pursued a career as a media commentator, heavily involved with ABC, Channel 7 and SBS. He also had a talent in writing, his articles featuring in The Sun, The Daily Telegraph and the St George Leader.

The legend devoted his life to bettering football in Australia; the famous “I told you so” quote lives long in the memory of football fans in this country.

Cahill said he was amazing to see how much the game has developed and was rapt about finally having a football person outside a Sydney stadium.

“First football statue, there’s a lot being done in the game and he’s somebody we all look up to, we respect all the sports in our codes,” he said.

“For me the best thing is to stand side by side to enjoy the sport together and how proud we are of what we can do as a country domestically and internationally.

“It’s a big day for football and we can all be very proud of his legacy and what we can carry on going forward.”

Currently studying at Deakin University in Melbourne, Clem has experience writing on AFL and has worked at Preston Leader Newspapers in Victoria. He loves reporting, spectating, discussing and playing both AFL and football.